Intersection (40 page)

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Cassidy smiled at the agent as she got into the car. Alex tried to hide her amusement but couldn’t help but smirk. “That’s what I thought,” the teacher shook her head as the agent kissed her on the cheek and gently shut her door.

“Alex?” A voice called.

“What’s up, Speed Racer?”

“Will you teach me how to do that trick?”

“What trick is that?” The agent asked curiously as she turned the corner off of Cherry Circle.

“You know, when you make shots behind your back?”

“Hmmm… Well, actually, there might be someone more qualified to teach you that where we are going.” Cassidy looked at the agent inquisitively. “I told you; this is your case Agent O’Brien,” Alex smiled. “Look for the clues.” Cassidy just shook her head and put her hand on Alex’s knee. There was no doubt that this was the agent’s way of taking the teacher’s mind off of everything. It reminded her of their first drive, their first dinner alone. The teacher closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh of contentment remembering Alex smiling at her in the firelight as the ocean lapped the shore behind them. Alex caught her lover’s expression. “What are you thinking about?”

“Falling in love,” Cassidy answered, never opening her eyes.

Alex felt her heartbeat quicken. “You know, you’re gonna’ miss all the clues if you stay like that.”

Cassidy was unflinching. “
Je ne m’inquiète pas
,” (I don’t care). Alex laughed. Cassidy could be adorable and this was one of those moments. The woman beside her was clearly lost to some memory and Alex was delighted at the knowledge that she was the heart of it; whatever it was. They drove for a while with Dylan chattering in the back asking Alex all kinds of questions about playing pool. The agent taught Dylan the license plate game and the two sought to spy plates from different states along the highway. Dylan couldn’t read all the states but he would find one and Alex would tell him where it was from and then try to explain the markings. She explained the cactus and the desert on the Arizona plate and where Arizona was. She told him about Tombstone and the OK Corral. She explained the waves on a Rhode Island plate. When a car passed them with a Massachusetts plate that had a Red Sox symbol the agent cheered and told Dylan the Yankees were Stankees. He laughed so hard that small tears fell from his eyes.

Cassidy sat quietly, eyes closed, listening and smiling. It was impossible to think about anything but the moment and she didn’t care if they just drove all day. Listening to Dylan’s laughter and Alex’s obvious delight at his interest in everything she said, Cassidy thought it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. She thought about how lucky she was to have the two people she loved more than anything, love each other. They had been driving for quite some time when Cassidy opened her eyes. “Alex?”

“Hmmm?”

“Are we going to Nick’s” The teacher asked, noticing that they were in Connecticut.

“Well…”

“To the restaurant?” Cassidy continued her thought.

“Not exactly,” Alex smiled.

“Who’s Nick?” Dylan chimed in.

“Nick is my brother.” The teacher studied the agent’s face. Alex caught her stare. “You might make a decent agent, O’Brien.”

“So,” Cassidy led the agent to answer.

“About fifteen minutes and you’ll see,” Alex grasped the hand on her knee.

“How are you feeling?” The president asked.

Christopher O’Brien thought silently for a moment as he held the phone to his ear. His mouth had gone dry but his hands were sweating, “still a bit fuzzy… and tired of this chair.”

“I can imagine. That was quite a hit you took, I hear.” John Merrow responded.

“That’s what they tell me….. Listen…”

“What is it congressman?”

“Jon Krause was here,” the congressman said.

“Is that right?” The president feigned his surprise at the congressman’s point.

“Mr. President,” the congressman stopped and considered his words carefully. “I am worried… about Cassidy.”

“Oh?”

“Well… I just….do you know about….”

“About Agent Toles and Cassidy? Or that you reported Agent Toles to her superiors?” There was silence at the other end of the phone. “So? Congressman?”

“You sound surprised,” the congressman interjected.

The president laughed. “Chris, I am not surprised by either…but I think your actions were foolish.” Again there was silence. “You know that. You don’t know Toles; I do,” the president said flatly.

“What about Krause?” The congressman asked.

John Merrow decided to be blunt. “Krause does not answer to me. Even if I’d like to think it, Congressman. We all have roles to play. I do not pull his strings.” The president continued his assessment. “You have a lot to learn, Chris. I hope it’s not too late for you to heed the lessons. I would have thought your time being married to a teacher might have taught you something about discipline and commitment.” Merrow chuckled slightly, “well, at least discipline.”

The congressman continued nervously. “If Agent Toles…”

“Agent Toles will be placed on suspension Monday. She will be in D.C. You threw out the pitch, now we have to wait for it to cross the plate. I can’t do anything about Agent Toles, not now. I suggest you get some rest.”

“Cassidy doesn’t know any….”

“What Cassidy knows or doesn’t…Well, Agent Toles is good. Cassidy might have information that seems innocuous to her. Alex will find it with time.”

“I would think my report would have been helpful then,” the congressman interjected.

“Do you?” The president pushed down his anger. “You think a suspension will stop Toles?” He laughed. “You can’t control Toles anymore than you can Cassidy. You’ve just increased her resolve, and Alex is not someone you want as an adversary; trust me.”

“So... what am I supposed to do?”

“Pay more attention,” the president answered.

Alex pulled down a winding New England road. There was a long stonewall that seemed to travel along with them out the passenger side window. Trees lined the street on both sides. “Alex?” Cassidy began an inquiry just as the agent pulled into a narrow driveway.

“We’re here,” the agent announced.

“Uh…where is here?” Cassidy asked looking behind her as Dylan released himself from the grips of his seat excitedly.

“Hey!” A voice yelled as Alex opened her door. Stepping off the front porch of the green Cape Cod style home was a tall man who looked very much like the agent.

“Who’s that?” Dylan asked as Alex let him out of the car.

“That’s Nicky,” the agent answered, her smile broadening as the figure approached. Dylan held onto Alex’s jacket when he noticed another figure appear on the wide porch that ran the entire length of the home.

Nick reached his sister who was now standing beside the teacher with Dylan between them. “You still letting this lackey hang around,” he kissed Cassidy on the cheek.

“Hi Nick,” she greeted him affectionately.

“All right,” Alex shook her head. “Lackey?” She felt a slight tug on her jacket and looked down at the small boy who was pointing to the porch. She laughed. “Oh…THAT…. That, Dylan is Christian, my nephew.” Large eyes that almost took
on his mother’s color when he was excited peered up at the agent and then to his mother as Christian bounced his way to the group.

“So, Dylan this is my brother, Nick.”

“Nice to meet you, Dylan. I hear you are quite the little shark,” Nick winked.

Again Dylan looked at the agent. “It means you are a good pool player,” she explained. He brightened. “And this is Christian. You can call him Cat. We all do.”

“Hi,” Christian said.

“Hi,” Dylan answered.

“Are you all going to stand out there or what?” An attractive woman called from the porch.

“That’s Barb,” Nick smiled. “I’m her lackey.”

“I’ll say,” Alex laughed.

“Watch it,” he playfully cautioned. “Let’s go in. Cat, why don’t you take Dylan and you can show him the rec room?”

Dylan looked back at Cassidy who smiled assuredly. “Go ahead.”

Cassidy was surprised when she felt Alex’s hand slip around her own as they made their way toward the house and the agent caught her expression. The agent squeezed a little harder and winked. She leaned into the teacher’s ear, “Dylan will have a blast and I want you to know this is where you belong.” The teacher felt her heart stop for a moment. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the day. What was clear to her was the agent’s intended statement. It was about family. It was meant as an assurance. Cassidy pulled the agent down to whisper in her ear. “What is it?” Alex asked as they reached the porch.

“Thank you,” the teacher answered.

The day was progressing nicely and Alex was thrilled to see that Cassidy felt at ease with Nick and his wife. It was hard for her
to fathom that she and Cassidy’s relationship was so new. They hadn’t had a chance to talk about so many things yet; one of those things being family. The agent had more than one purpose to the visit today. Alex wanted Cassidy to understand and to believe that the she was committed to their young relationship. She also wanted Cassidy to know that the teacher had a place to go while the agent was away. Alex had a nagging sensation of worry about leaving now. She didn’t like the way things were going with the case. Detective Ferro had called earlier and told her he was working a couple of potential leads, but Fisher was still out there. On top of it the agent was certain that the congressman’s accident had been arranged. She feared for the teacher and any absence, even a short one, filled her with a sense of dread. Her fear was something she could not make visible to the woman that sat beside her now. Whatever started this entire case was much larger than she had ever imagined. It reminded her of her time in Iraq and that bookshop. Unconsciously, she raised her thumb to her temple as a myriad of thoughts passed through her mind. Cassidy noticed the change in the agent’s expression and the telltale indicator of stress for Alex; her habit of rubbing her temples. “What is it?” Cassidy whispered into the agent’s ear.

Alex smiled across the room to her brother and leaned into Cassidy, “just a little headache.” The teacher decided it was best to accept the agent’s answer given where they were.

Nick had also caught the shift in his sister’s demeanor. Sensing that his sister and her new partner might need a moment alone he gestured to his wife. “What do you say you help me get that dinner started?”

“What can we do to help?” Cassidy asked genuinely.

“Oh no… I think there will be plenty of time for that,” Nick laughed. “Accept guest status while you can,” he winked.

“He’s not kidding,” Barb joked as the two headed off to the kitchen.

“Alex?” Cassidy looked at the agent with some concern.

“I’m fine.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? You are a terrible liar,” Cassidy raised an eyebrow.

The agent sighed and kissed Cassidy on the cheek. “Cass, I just wish I could…”

The teacher could’ve guessed the end to that sentence. Alex wished she could change her departure and she wished that the case was solved. “I know you do,” Cassidy smiled. The day had been wonderful so far. Dylan was off with Christian and every so often the adults would chuckle at the sound of playful laughter rising through the house. Nick and Alex had traded jabs and stories about growing up and the trouble that Alex seemed to always coax her brother into; things like stealing apples from a neighbor’s orchard at night. The two siblings had gotten into a fit of laughter when Alex explained how they got chased by a dog one night after stealing apples and ran frantically to escape home safely; only to find that the dog was their own, Barney. Barb was charming and easy going and Cassidy immediately felt welcome with the pair. Whatever was to come could wait. She put her hand on Alex’s cheek. “Let’s not think about it today,” she suggested, soliciting an appreciative grin from the agent.